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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rock — music
  4. club — a group
  5. chest — of your body
  6. court — of a king
  7. club — for golf
  8. court — of law
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. fall — the season
  11. club — for dancing
  12. rock — a stone
  13. root — of a word
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. court — for sport
  17. march — the month
  18. root — the cause
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. march — music
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fall — to drop
  24. root — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com